A brief interaction with the nine-member Rotary team from Egypt brought to light certain interesting facts. That there are many misconceptions encountered by travellers bound to India, mostly spread by the western media.
Sahar Mohmoud Sobeah, Gihan Ali Gomaa, Nadia Ahmed, Shadia Ahmed, Gasser Rizk, Naglaa Youssef, Ahmed Moustafa, Mona Saad, and Fayek Fouad were from the land considered as the cradle of civilization, and they were part of a Rotary Friendship Exchange programme. They visited Vishakhapatnam, Anakapalle and Vijayawada during their week-long sojourn.
“Drink water only from a sealed bottle. Don’t board a flight without getting vaccination as India is full of contagious diseases.” These were some warnings their friends gave them when they embarked on the exchange programme to India.
“But the truth is something else. The potable water here is not only safe but also sweet. I am here without any vaccination and I’m alive,” says a smiling Gasser, a dentist, who stayed as a guest with Rotarian S.M. Sultan, a senior lawyer.
Their stay in various parts of Andhra Pradesh helped them encounter the real India and several doubts were clarified. “There is one thing common between Egypt and India — the traffic. Vizag traffic is as chaotic as at Cairo,” they say in unison.
The team had an aerial view of the Steel City and visited Kailasagiri, fishing harbour, submarine and the aircraft museum and enjoyed their free time lazing around the picturesque Ramakrishna Beach.
The affable Egyptians visited Anakapalle and witnessed the preparation of jaggery. They were overawed by the involvement of women in the making of the sweeter.
They distributed English dictionaries to the students of Kajipalem School and visited the Rotary eye hospital. However, the green paddy fields across the Godavari districts were something that have impressed the visitors enormously.
“It green all the way. The train journey to Eluru was a memorable one as we saw the pristine paddy fields spread across hundreds of acres on both sides providing the staple food, rice to the people,” says Ms Mona, an architect.
The five-hour long train journey from Vizag to Eluru also dismissed one more myth they carried with them when they visited India. “We were told many nasty things about the railway journey. But the journey was nice not only comfortable but also hygienic, especially the bathrooms,” says Ahmed Moustafa, an engineer.
The friendly Egyptians made a visit to Undavalli caves, Berm Park and also climbed Kondapalli Fort and witnessed the toy making. “The stay in Andhra Pradesh is a memorable and we’re able to see both the ancient and modern vignettes of this fabulous country,” says team leader Sahar Mahmoud Sobeah, an assistant dean of libraries at the American University at Cairo, before catching flight to Delhi.
